Chapter 67: Escorting the caravans

The first caravan to brave the journey from Yaranhold to Orestria was waiting at the foot of the barrier. Waiting for the barrier to open up for them.

Thomas opened it for them, and had a light wisp lead them to himself. It took them the better half of the day to reach him, yet, when they did, he saw that they were carrying knickknacks.

Thomas waved at them, as they passed, and let the next caravan through. Dragons roared up above their heads, trying to get through the barrier. A mighty big bird would fly around, and pick at them one by one.

Slimes would wait for the soulless husks to fall down, before devouring them. When the sunset came, Pavos vibrated and split. The new slime was a dragon. Smaller than Karl, but no less formidable.

"How do I name you?" Thomas asked the loyal slime. He had no idea how he could name the creature. Pressing his hand on the barrier, he stared at the new slime-dragon.

"How about Gamier?" The siren suggested. The dragon bubbled something at him in his slime speech, and went with the other slimes to wait for another corpse to drop from the skies.

"You can have an army out of slimes alone," Lucius noted from behind him. He was lying down, back to the barrier. Playing with a mammoth bone.

"That is my intention," Thomas spoke. "I will leave a lot of the slimes here, in the graveyard. So, they can make sure the dragon population doesn't rise too much."

"Why bother naming them, then?" The vampire asked.

"I guess I am sentimental," Thomas answered. He stared as another dragon fell from the sky, and the slimes circled it. His bottomless bag was filled to the brim with bones. He felt like he could and should do something else.

"Chem, how about you build some inns along the road?" The siren suggested. "This road will be very busy. So, it won't be something that we can ignore."

"I need workers," Chem told him.

Now, Thomas wished that Jeremy was with them. He would have clarified what there was to be done. Instead, the alchemist was with the king. Making sure Leon behaved.

"Would slimes be fine?" He asked. Slimes were what he knew how to control. He just needed to summon some of them, and then things would be just fine.

"They should. Make sure they take human forms," Chem told him, and Thomas nodded. He summoned twenty slimes, and had them eat the mammoth bones. Then, he let them feel up his limbs, and forced them to turn into replicas of himself.

"Go and make inns. Just do as Chem tells you to," Thomas commanded, and the slimes went away, following a light the dungeon core had made for them.

"Inns, really? What is going to wait on the merchants? Slimes?" Thomas turned to Lucius, who was smiling at him. For once, there was nothing sharp in the vampire's smile. Thomas took it as a good sign.

"Why not? That is what I am known for," Thomas looked to the side, and saw Karl vibrate and split in two. A new dragon appearing.

"Quit naming them, that is an order," Lucius told him, his smile becoming wider.

Thomas tried to speak, to defy the order, but found it was getting harder to breathe the more he tried to speak. Giving up, he went and sat opposite the vampire.

"Why don't you want me to name them?" He finally asked after the silence became too heavy for him to bear.

"Why should you name them, if you are going to abandon them?" Lucius asked instead of answering. "Why, I do believe..."

He was interrupted by a procession coming from the Orestria side of the barrier.

"Is that?" Lucius could see the royal flag waving in the wind. The carriage was making a good time. Both turned and waited until Leon came to them.

"It is not safe, my king," Thomas told the fair-haired man, when the carriage stopped by him.

"Looks plenty safe to me, Tommy," Leon hopped off the carriage, and went to Thomas. He took both of the summoner's hands in his and kissed them. "Your alchemist is a great bore."

"Jeremy was left with you for your protection," Thomas ignored Lucius, who was making gagging noises behind them.

"I wanted to come and see the Mammoth's graveyard," Leon protested, he hooked an arm around Thomas's shoulders, and walked with him away from the carriage. "I have missed you."

"You missed my voice, you mean?" Thomas asked. Feeling bitter for some reason.

"You and your voice are both a part of a whole package. Tommy, sing for me," Thomas was pushed back against the barrier, and a hand traveled down his stomach.

"Here? In the open?" He stuttered. What was wrong with the darn king?

"You can make another barrier just for us. I have always wanted to do it in the open," Leon's lips ghosted over Thomas's neck, and his fingers traced patterns over the summoner's torso. "You've lost even more weight."

"It is not Sunday," Thomas said, not knowing why. "I can't weight myself and..."

Leon chuckled, and kissed him then.

"You are such a giving lover," the king commented, his hands roaming freely now. "Trying to be perfect for your king."

"I am trying to be healthy for myself," Thomas felt like this situation was off. That he didn't want to be taken so close to Lucius. No matter how good it had felt the first time. "Just go home."

Two fingers held up his chin, and Thomas was forced to stare in the deep blue eyes of the king.

"Tell me the truth now. Have you been putting horns on me with that vampire?" Leon asked, his expression stormy.

"No, he hates me," Thomas was pretty sure that Leon hated him as well.

"Good because you don't belong to him," Leon released his hold on Thomas's chin. "You belong to me."

"I belong to myself, just go home," Thomas spoke. He wanted to spend more time here, where Lucius was calmer and didn't mock him.

"I won't," Leon insisted, even when he caught sight of the mockingbird staring at him. "You can't make me."